OUR TOWN

Joshua A. Bickel

Tuesday

Sep 28, 2010 at 12:01 AMSep 28, 2010 at 12:06 PM

Before each shot, Nate Meyer clears his mind, slowly shoulders his shotgun and takes aim.

“Pull,” he says, just loud enough for the tournament official nearby to hear him. The bright orange clay pigeon flies out from his right. He tracks it with his firearm for a split second, then fires and blasts it into little pieces.

Meyer, 19, a 2009 Hickman graduate, would go on to shoot down 91 more of those clay pigeons, good enough to earn him first place in the senior skeet division of the 4-H State Shoot, held Sept. 18 at Prairie Grove Shotgun Sports. It was Meyer’s sixth and final time competing in the tournament, which also has events in archery, rifle shooting, pistol shooting and BB gun shooting for each age division.

“Some people stress out,” Meyer said of competing, “But for me, it’s been kind of a fun thing.”

Beginning at age 13, Meyer competed in the state 4-H tournament every year. He earned a spot on Missouri’s national team in 2007 and in 2008, when the state’s team took second in the country.

Now, because of age restrictions, Meyer can’t compete in the 4-H tournament any longer. He still has plans to pursue the sport competitively, though, and plans to be involved in the tournament next year, going not as a player but as a coach.

Beyond the tournament, Meyer hopes to be a shooting coach either at a university or through 4-H.

“I want to pass this on to other kids,” Meyer said.

This weekly photo column explores the people, places and relationships that make living in Columbia a unique and interesting experience.

If you have a suggestion for Our Town, contact the Tribune’s photo department at 815-1770 or photo@columbiatribune.com.

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